the only thing i didnt bought was (already have them from my main pc) i5-6600k and msi gtx 970

i have a few questions:in april you had samsung m.2 and on may u changed it to crucial,why?and will the build perform well with m.2 ssd? first time that im using it.also, the cpu support ddr4 2166mhz and i bought the corsair ddr4 3000mhz, will it be ok?

Welcome to the TBG Forum, Gwynbleidd!

Everything you purchased through the guide will work fine in this build, but unless your MSI GTX 970 is reference model, it will NOT fit. If you link the model you have in this thread, I will confirm whether it will work.

The Samsung SSD was dropped because it jumped in price, making it a terrible value (it was removed from every guide on the site, actually). M.2 drives perform just like 2.5" drives, so yes, the drive you have will perform well. Also, DDR4-3000 will work fine in this build - that's why it's recommended in the guide!

the only thing i didnt bought was (already have them from my main pc) i5-6600k and msi gtx 970

i have a few questions:in april you had samsung m.2 and on may u changed it to crucial,why?and will the build perform well with m.2 ssd? first time that im using it.also, the cpu support ddr4 2166mhz and i bought the corsair ddr4 3000mhz, will it be ok?

Welcome to the TBG Forum, Gwynbleidd!

Everything you purchased through the guide will work fine in this build, but unless your MSI GTX 970 is reference model, it will NOT fit. If you link the model you have in this thread, I will confirm whether it will work.

The Samsung SSD was dropped because it jumped in price, making it a terrible value (it was removed from every guide on the site, actually). M.2 drives perform just like 2.5" drives, so yes, the drive you have will perform well. Also, DDR4-3000 will work fine in this build - that's why it's recommended in the guide!

the only thing i didnt bought was (already have them from my main pc) i5-6600k and msi gtx 970

i have a few questions:in april you had samsung m.2 and on may u changed it to crucial,why?and will the build perform well with m.2 ssd? first time that im using it.also, the cpu support ddr4 2166mhz and i bought the corsair ddr4 3000mhz, will it be ok?

Welcome to the TBG Forum, Gwynbleidd!

Everything you purchased through the guide will work fine in this build, but unless your MSI GTX 970 is reference model, it will NOT fit. If you link the model you have in this thread, I will confirm whether it will work.

The Samsung SSD was dropped because it jumped in price, making it a terrible value (it was removed from every guide on the site, actually). M.2 drives perform just like 2.5" drives, so yes, the drive you have will perform well. Also, DDR4-3000 will work fine in this build - that's why it's recommended in the guide!

just to make sure, the DDR4 3000mhz will perform ok with my i5 6600k?on intel website they say the cpu support up to 2166mhz, but the motherboard itself supports 3000mhz.i wont have a bottle neck?

DDR4-2133 is the official rating for all Skylake CPUs. That is not, however, the limit for the system, which is set by the motherboard. If you were using an H170 or H270 motherboard, 2133MHz is all you'd get, but with a Z170/Z270 you have the ability to overclock memory, either manually or using the XMP profile. For Corsair DDR4-3000 RAM, the XMP profile will set your speed to 3000MHz with 15-17-17-15 timings, and it will work perfectly.

just to make sure, the DDR4 3000mhz will perform ok with my i5 6600k?on intel website they say the cpu support up to 2166mhz, but the motherboard itself supports 3000mhz.i wont have a bottle neck?

DDR4-2133 is the official rating for all Skylake CPUs. That is not, however, the limit for the system, which is set by the motherboard. If you were using an H170 or H270 motherboard, 2133MHz is all you'd get, but with a Z170/Z270 you have the ability to overclock memory, either manually or using the XMP profile. For Corsair DDR4-3000 RAM, the XMP profile will set your speed to 3000MHz with 15-17-17-15 timings, and it will work perfectly.

thanks ari!

ill got all the parts, except the m.2 which ill get next week, so ill build everything later do you have cheaper alternatives for the i7 7700k and the evga 1070?i have atm i5 6600k and msi gtx 970ill upgrade the cpu and gpu in the future since both of them pretty solid

just to make sure, the DDR4 3000mhz will perform ok with my i5 6600k?on intel website they say the cpu support up to 2166mhz, but the motherboard itself supports 3000mhz.i wont have a bottle neck?

DDR4-2133 is the official rating for all Skylake CPUs. That is not, however, the limit for the system, which is set by the motherboard. If you were using an H170 or H270 motherboard, 2133MHz is all you'd get, but with a Z170/Z270 you have the ability to overclock memory, either manually or using the XMP profile. For Corsair DDR4-3000 RAM, the XMP profile will set your speed to 3000MHz with 15-17-17-15 timings, and it will work perfectly.

thanks ari!

ill got all the parts, except the m.2 which ill get next week, so ill build everything later do you have cheaper alternatives for the i7 7700k and the evga 1070?i have atm i5 6600k and msi gtx 970ill upgrade the cpu and gpu in the future since both of them pretty solid

also, is there gonna be an update in parts for next month?

Given that you have a 6600K and a GTX 970, I honestly cannot recommend anything else other than what's already in the guide: a Core i7-7700K and the EVGA GTX 1070. No other CPU offers a significant upgrade, and the EVGA 1070 is the only GPU that will fit that provides a serious boost from a 970. You could go with a GTX 1060, but it's just not fast enough compared to what you have.

And, yes, the guide is updated every month, and next month won't be an exception. Stay tuned!

Hey Ari (and everyone else!). I just wanted to thank you for your work here. I'm a first-time builder and I think this site has been more useful than anything else I've come across.

I'm thinking about following this build pretty closely, except:1) swapping in a Corsair 2x16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000 kit for the Corsair 2x8GB Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 (the extra capacity isn't necessary for gaming, I know, but useful for audio production using large sample libraries, which is more of priority for me)2) downgrading the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming OC 11GB to the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 D5X 8GB (because high framerate 4k gaming would be nice, but not worth the extra $200+)

The D5X 8G is on sale for $459.99 (!!!) at Newegg for the next 12 hours and I'd like to pull the trigger, but I'm a little bit worried about your warning about wide cards not fitting in the Core 500. The Ti OC 11GB in your parts list is H=37 L=280 W=114 mm, while the D5X 8GB is H=41 L=280 W=114 mm. However, I've found multiple builds (e.g. https://pcpartpicker.com/b/sWbXsY and https://pcpartpicker.com/b/LhyXsY) with the same or similar mobos and power supplies using MSI 1070 8GB gpus, which all seem to be 42 mm wide. So I'm pretty sure the Gigabyte D5X 8GB will fit, but at Newegg they're replacement only, so if it doesn't fit I'm screwed. Can you clarify a little how wide is too wide for this build?

Two more quick questions: you say in the assembly guide (last updated in March 2016) that you don't recommend an M.2 SSD here because the M.2 slots itx mobos don't get enough fresh air in small cases, but there's an M.2 SSD in the parts list. Is the M.2 placement on the Asus ROG Strix Z270I Gaming better than the Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 in the assembly guide? Why the change of heart?

And lastly: it seems like you update these builds every month. Normally I'd just wait a few more days, but like I said above, the sale on the gpu is over in 12 hours. Any sneak previews for the update I should know before making my purchases?

Hey Ari (and everyone else!). I just wanted to thank you for your work here. I'm a first-time builder and I think this site has been more useful than anything else I've come across.

I'm thinking about following this build pretty closely, except:1) swapping in a Corsair 2x16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000 kit for the Corsair 2x8GB Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 (the extra capacity isn't necessary for gaming, I know, but useful for audio production using large sample libraries, which is more of priority for me)2) downgrading the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming OC 11GB to the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 D5X 8GB (because high framerate 4k gaming would be nice, but not worth the extra $200+)

The D5X 8G is on sale for $459.99 (!!!) at Newegg for the next 12 hours and I'd like to pull the trigger, but I'm a little bit worried about your warning about wide cards not fitting in the Core 500. The Ti OC 11GB in your parts list is H=37 L=280 W=114 mm, while the D5X 8GB is H=41 L=280 W=114 mm. However, I've found multiple builds (e.g. https://pcpartpicker.com/b/sWbXsY and https://pcpartpicker.com/b/LhyXsY) with the same or similar mobos and power supplies using MSI 1070 8GB gpus, which all seem to be 42 mm wide. So I'm pretty sure the Gigabyte D5X 8GB will fit, but at Newegg they're replacement only, so if it doesn't fit I'm screwed. Can you clarify a little how wide is too wide for this build?

Two more quick questions: you say in the assembly guide (last updated in March 2016) that you don't recommend an M.2 SSD here because the M.2 slots itx mobos don't get enough fresh air in small cases, but there's an M.2 SSD in the parts list. Is the M.2 placement on the Asus ROG Strix Z270I Gaming better than the Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 in the assembly guide? Why the change of heart?

And lastly: it seems like you update these builds every month. Normally I'd just wait a few more days, but like I said above, the sale on the gpu is over in 12 hours. Any sneak previews for the update I should know before making my purchases?

Thanks again!

Welcome to the TBG Forum, GlennDome! You've posed some great questions, let me address them one by one:

(1) RAM: You can absolutely swap in the Corsair 2x16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000 kit for the 2x8GB DDR4-3200 in the guide. It's a much better value right now than the 32GB DDR4-3200 kit, and here's a dirty little secret: Corsair's DDR4-3000 and DDR4-3200 kits perform almost identically, due to the 3000MHz kit's tighter timings versus the 3200MHz kit.

(2) GPU: To be clear, the Gigabyte GTX 1080 D5X at Newegg looks to be a Newegg exclusive, and it's in fact a reference-clocked GTX 1080 with the custom G1 cooler. At the sale price, it's a good deal, but I wouldn't pay more than that for it, as you can get the highly-overclocked G1 for under $500 at Amazon. It has a 90MHz factory overclock.

But here's the thing: it does take a bit of work to get this card in. I chose this design for the GTX 1080 Ti because all custom cards are at least that big, and are worth the cable-wrangling. But for a GTX 1080, you have other choices that will be easier to use. And take note of this quote from one of the PCPartPicker users regarding the big MSI GTX 1070: "Instalation was a bit chalenging because of the ITX case and larger PSU - I've heated and formed PSU cables prior to the GPU installation so they weren't in the way (that much :-) )But after a short struggle, GPU fitted well :-)"

So if you're going to go with a GTX 1080, I strongly recommend you get a smaller card, specifically the new EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 SC2 ICX, which I've actually tested and found to be excellent, and more importantly, a perfect fit for the Fractal Core 500 case.

Yes, it's more expensive, but it has a big factory overclock (even higher than the Gigabyte G1), and it will be much easier to use in this compact case, I promise!

(3) SSDs: Yes, everything has changed in this regard since the March 2016 assembly guide! The new Z270I from Asus has a much better M.2 slot than the older Gigabyte Z170 board used in that guide. Specifically, it's on the top-side of the motherboard, rather than underneath.

(4) Update for June: actually, the only update is one that won't affect you - I'm switching to the just-released EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2, specifically due to its shorter length versus the Gigabyte model. Gigabyte's custom card hit the market far earlier than anyone else's, but now that EVGA has a 10.5" card on the market, it's going to be the one to get for this system to make it easier to build.

Thanks for the quick and very informative reply! It'll definitely be stretching my budget a little bit, but the EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 SC2 you recommended seems perfect. It's not only smaller but seems much better-reviewed. I must have missed it when I was looking for gpu alternatives because for some reason the 'student price' at Newegg is $100 more than the 'regular price,' and it only shows me the 'student price' in the search results.

Will let you know how the build turns out! It'll definitely have enough power for what I need, curious about how quiet and sturdy/portable it'll be.

Thanks for the quick and very informative reply! It'll definitely be stretching my budget a little bit, but the EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 SC2 you recommended seems perfect. It's not only smaller but seems much better-reviewed. I must have missed it when I was looking for gpu alternatives because for some reason the 'student price' at Newegg is $100 more than the 'regular price,' and it only shows me the 'student price' in the search results.

Will let you know how the build turns out! It'll definitely have enough power for what I need, curious about how quiet and sturdy/portable it'll be.

This build is very quiet and portable. But have you considered the $1,500 Ultra-Compact Build? You could substitute in the GTX 1080 for the 1070 in the build list without any other modifications, and the SG13 case is a lot smaller than the Core 500.

That was actually my original plan and I've forgotten why I changed my mind now. In theory I'm guessing the Core 500 should be able to achieve cooler temperatures at a lower volume because of the 140mm case fan and the ability to use a tower-style cpu cooler. I'm not as concerned about lugging something slightly larger (and significantly heavier) around as much as I am with fitting the case in a carry-on luggage bag. Technically carry-ons aren't supposed to exceed 9 inches in width, but basically every time I've ever flown, my bag was thicker than that and I've never had a problem. The smallest dimension of the Core 500 is 8" and for the SG13B it's 7.13", so basically both are too big to fit in a carry-on with wheels according to the nominal limits and both are small enough to fit the actual space requirements, in my experience. Granted, the SB13B would give me some extra padding room in case I have to gate-check my bag.

I appreciate the suggestion and I'll have to think about the trade off. I guess I'd love to hear thoughts (from you or anyone else) about whether the Core 500 would actually have a better cooling capacity to volume ratio in practice--because if it doesn't or the difference is negligible the choice is easy. The good thing is, like you said, all of the components that I need to pick up today in order to not miss the sale will work in both cases. Although if I go for the SG13B paired with the GTX 1080 I'll have to look into whether or not I'd need to get a higher capacity sfx power supply than the 500W model recommended in the $1,500 build list too.

That was actually my original plan and I've forgotten why I changed my mind now. In theory I'm guessing the Core 500 should be able to achieve cooler temperatures at a lower volume because of the 140mm case fan and the ability to use a tower-style cpu cooler. I'm not as concerned about lugging something slightly larger (and significantly heavier) around as much as I am with fitting the case in a carry-on luggage bag. Technically carry-ons aren't supposed to exceed 9 inches in width, but basically every time I've ever flown, my bag was thicker than that and I've never had a problem. The smallest dimension of the Core 500 is 8" and for the SG13B it's 7.13", so basically both are too big to fit in a carry-on with wheels according to the nominal limits and both are small enough to fit the actual space requirements, in my experience. Granted, the SB13B would give me some extra padding room in case I have to gate-check my bag.

I appreciate the suggestion and I'll have to think about the trade off. I guess I'd love to hear thoughts (from you or anyone else) about whether the Core 500 would actually have a better cooling capacity to volume ratio in practice--because if it doesn't or the difference is negligible the choice is easy. The good thing is, like you said, all of the components that I need to pick up today in order to not miss the sale will work in both cases. Although if I go for the SG13B paired with the GTX 1080 I'll have to look into whether or not I'd need to get a higher capacity sfx power supply than the 500W model recommended in the $1,500 build list too.

Thanks again for the help!

I've extensively tested both the Core 500 and the SG13, as well as the coolers recommended for both cases, and there's no doubt about it: the Core 500-based setup in the $2,000 build will be quieter. The included 140mm fan is sublime in terms of noise, and the Cryorig cooler is awesomely-quiet as well. In fact, this system will be essentially silent at all times. To get close to the same CPU cooling in the SG13, you must run a much higher fan speed, or go liquid, which I strongly discourage for a number of reasons, the most obvious being the difficulty in fitting a liquid cooler in the case. And it doesn't support 140mm case fans when using a video card.

That being said, the case height isn't going to be the limiting factor for your travels. I've just measured my carry-on roller bags, and they have just 14" or so of interior space in their maximum dimension. The Core 500 is 15" deep. The SG13 is 12" deep. That's the relevant factor in my opinion. Make sure you're accounting for the longest dimension, not just the shortest.

Also, I'm going to be pretty clear about this: I would never allow a PC of this caliber to be checked. You'll run a significant risk of damaging the CPU socket due to the weight of the CPU cooler, or the PCIe slot due to the weight of the video card. If you can't take the system in a carry-on, I would strongly discourage you from taking it at all.

The good news with regard to the GTX 1080 is that it definitely doesn't require more than a 500W power supply. Remember that the 650W unit in the $2,000 build guide is intended for a GTX 1080 Ti, which uses about 75W more power than the GTX 1080.

Can I substitute the 1070 gpu (ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini 8GB GDDR5) from the 1,500 UltraCompact Mini ITX build, or something similar, into this build? I mostly play older Civilization and Total War titles, and so a 1080 is probably overkill, no?Can I substitute the hybrid hard drive (Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5-Inch) from the 1,500 UltraCompact Mini ITX buid, or something similar into this build?

Like the poster just above, I figure this case to allow for better and quieter cooling than the SG13, and so think it might be better suited for potential upgrades somewhere down the line. Also, I don't intend to port my hot new gaming setup about, but like the poster above, I do need to be able to carry it onto an airplane or two. I believe the Core 500 is not too big for carry on.